I'm going to say it: There's a class divide in the Will Smith incident

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I have a wide social circle.

What I've noticed today on social media is those from blue collar/working class backgrounds are defending Will Smith's actions, the women saying "he's a real man" "that's what men should do", "he was defending her" and those from white collar backgrounds/middle classes completely condemning Will's actions as pure unadulterated violence/assault.

Both obviously agreeing Chris' joke was in bad taste and not funny.

What's everyone else's experience been from their social media reactions?

A bully and a thug. Both are misogynistic arses. Neither have any class.

I’m working class. I think it’s all bullshit, Will smith should not get away with a blatant act of violence, it shows no self control or maybe he was attention seeking as I think really he could’ve waited until the after show to lamp him one but no, he did it in front of the whole world. What’s he trying to show here ?

I don’t think Chris Rocks joke was in good taste but he was paid to go there and roast the celebs in the front rows,

Im working class: DH is middle class. We both think Chris had it coming. He humiliated her. He will recover from the slap within seconds.

Totally think it was staged though

Apparently Chris Rock and Will Smith have made up now over this.

Ridiculous and stupid really.

Comedians can be brutal but Chris Rock actually made a very personal joke about an individual. He is a twat. Will Smith should have handled it differently but I still think Chris Rock is unfunny and I think his career should suffer too.

Don't you think the reality is, in general, class or age or race or any other label will always shape the view a person takes on any given matter?!

I think this is more you projecting on where you 'think' you should be on the side of the narrative tbh.

If not, most people I know are just sharing memes and taking the piss about how we should be concerned for highly privilidged people, I have clients in hollywood who are going down the fake line because of epstien and general joe public not giving a shit about the awards anymore, middle class women saying that he obvioulsy should have stood up for her and slapped him to working class saying it was out of order.

There is a lot of people trying to scrabble for a narrative of an award ceremony that is struggling and dying from multiple scandals, the media machine around celebs has been hit hard during the past 2 years will make money from page views to compensate over the next few months...

@strawberrycheesecake1989

I don’t understand why so many people including WS think that Chris rock’s reference to G.I. Jane was in bad taste? Demi more is absolutely stunning in that film with that shaved head. If I had shaved my head due to choice or alopécia - being compared to G.I. Jane would be a compliment!!

I have had alopecia since childhood. I have been saying this all day! Comparing one beautiful shaven-headed woman to another is not offensive!!! Maybe joking about the subject at all is not ideal, but the comparison is not offensive! Everyone's reactions like having a shaved head or alopecia is some unspeakable shame is worse than the original joke in my opinion. Demi Moore in GI Jane was a great example of a shorn, beautiful, badass gender non-conforming woman - and they are rare in Hollywood. WS reaction (and the world's) has been insane!! All the people I know with hair loss are less offended than those that don't. WS made things 100x worse for his wife. He could have used words.

A comparison to Demi Moore. I mean really.

violence was not the answer, one of the reasons is because otherwise it leads to the path of when ever anyone disagrees the stronger or most angry person may just restort to violence rather than debating and analysing the situation for a more peaceful outcome.

I surprised myself slightly that my first reaction was 'well, Chris Rock deserved it' - that it was a slap (not a punch, so it probably stung but wasn't going to cause any real damage), and that he fucked around and found out.

The more I think about that I don't feel like that's really reflective of who I think I am - someone who thinks violence is never justified, because there's always going to be someone who makes up a justification that isn't okay as an excuse to hurt someone - but it struck me that my first gut response was 'chatted shit, got banged, he can't really be surprised'.

I'm working class, if that makes a difference. I know a fair few people who would absolutely see this as entirely justified, across the class strata. I know a fair few who would think it was horrifying, again of all classes. So I'm not sure the class does make a difference.

Personally I’ve found it’s mostly people who consider it some kind of chivalry to treat women as property and that’s not a class divide.

I think you have a point.

I wondered if it was all staged
But yes, I do agree. The proper old fashioned working class people I know don’t muck about. It’s like “right, outside”. That’s sometimes the only language certain people understand and tbh it gets things done while the middle classes are making excuses and wondering if the person has “trauma” or some other nonsense

@Random789

I have alopecia (actual pic of me: ) and I don't think Rock overstepped, given that the person he compared her to looks very lovely with a shaven head. Also, if someone made a genuinely hurtful remark about my hair(or lack of it), I wouldwant DH to give me a handsqueeze and a silent "You ok my love?" look, rather than to peacock about with his fists.

I was struck by the words WS used - "Take my wife's name out of your mouth," as if no man should comment on 'his' woman. I think it was his sense of masculinity that was hurt, by someone who (in his mind) seemed to disparage the status he feels himself to have gained by having a beautifl partner. I think it was f*ck all to do with supporting his wife.

Hi Alopecia sister,

I'm currently sporting a patchy shaved head. I don't think the comparison Chris Rock made was insulting AT ALL. Demi Moore is beautiful and so is Jada. The reaction of Will Smith and the world acting like being bald or shaven-headed is too disgusting to mention is way more shaming than anything Chris Rock said.

I would have been mortified if my DH had reacted like that.

I have had hair loss since a child and some truly awful times with it, including bullying. Being compared to Demi Moore in GI Jane is absolutely fine in my book.

It’s not ok to hit people.

Also I don’t get why he laughed at the “joke”

Working class background here though reluctantly educated middle class status now….class is irrelevant but as a feminist the whole sexism behind the thought of needing a man to step in and protect my honour is offensive. Will smiths wife could have used the opportunity to use her own platform as an actress/celeb to call out the original joke at her expense. Her husband denied her that opportunity. As I see it, no input from her husband was required. Will smith doesn’t get to be offended. His wife is not his property.

@TheNameOfTheRoses

I find it quite amusing to read that some many people understand WS reaction because he was triggered/provoked etc… But his wife who was on the one on the receiving end of the joke somehow managed to stay calm and not go in stage to physically hit the person making the joke/bullying her.

How is it that she managed to control herself but he didn’t??

How many women will go up and punch a man? Not many, in case they get punched back. There have been many times when men have shouted obscene stuff at me in the street and I have wanted to punch their lights out, but I haven't not because of my superhuman self-control, but because I was scared of them.

Chris Rock has a long history of making nasty comments about Jada Pinkett Smith, going back years. I wouldn't have punched him myself, but yeah, if you insult somebody repeatedly, you can't run crying to mummy when you get a response. He obviously thought Will Smith wouldn't dare confront him on camera, and look, he was wrong.

It was all a stunt, look at the attention he’s got. Everyone falling for it.
Smith stupid enough to laugh at the joke before he remembered to be offended. Rock flinched too soon. Plays into Stereotype of violent black mail. Disgusting attention grab

The general consensus amongst my friends and family is that the whole fiasco is just another example of rich and famous people thinking they are more important than everyone else and as such the rules don't apply to them. Which in this case is proving true.

Hollywood "stars" are so removed from reality it's insane.

I am very working class and I think:

1. the "joke" was not funny at all.
2. Will shouldn't have hit him.

That said, I do understand the "mentality". Where I grew up, insulting a female relative (wife, mother, daughter, sister etc) is likely to have gotten you a punch as well. Doesn't mean I agree with it- I don't.

It was obviously wrong and idiotic, but I do think there may be some class divide when it comes to how it is described. Imo, it's exaggerating the severity of the incident to call it an assault. It was a slap. Rock was momentarily startled, but it didn't seem to do any real damage. To me, the shouted threats afterwards were actually worse.

I'm middle class, fwiw.

@Unmumsymofo

Working class background here though reluctantly educated middle class status now….class is irrelevant but as a feminist the whole sexism behind the thought of needing a man to step in and protect my honour is offensive. Will smiths wife could have used the opportunity to use her own platform as an actress/celeb to call out the original joke at her expense. Her husband denied her that opportunity. As I see it, no input from her husband was required. Will smith doesn’t get to be offended. His wife is not his property.

This was what I was trying to say but couldn't really find the words. I don't need a man to "protect" me or defend my honour from words. She was in no danger from him.

Ah, and I should've said that I think a member of the working class might be more likely to not describe it as "assault", but maybe I'm wrong on that. It seems middle class to exaggerate it into something worse than it was.